Every season a number of Arsenal players go out on loan to gain valuable first-team experience. Last term more than 20 Gunners enjoyed spells away from the Club to aid their development.

Continuing with our 2011/12 review, we assess how a selection of them fared across Europe.

Player Profile - Carlos Vela

Carlos Vela
Real Sociedad
Appearances: 28+7 Goals: 12
Carlos had previously spent temporary spells at West Brom, Salamanca and Osasuna before La Liga outfit Real Sociedad snapped him up on a season-long loan last summer. By the end of a successful campaign Carlos had scored 12 goals for the San Sebastián outfit to help them to a comfortable mid-table finish.

 

Player Profile - Nicklas Bendtner

Nicklas Bendtner
Sunderland
Apps: 27 + 3 Goals: 8
Nicklas moved to the Stadium of Light on loan after finding first-team opportunities limited at Arsenal. He enjoyed a useful start to his Sunderland career, scoring three goals in four games during October before producing a similar run in March with four goals in seven - including a penalty in the Tyne-Wear derby.

 

Player Profile - Joel Campbell

Joel Campbell
Lorient
Apps: 11+14 Goals: 4
Joel arrived at Ligue 1 outfit Lorient alongside former Gunners Jeremie Aliadiere and Gilles Sunu and quickly found himself used as an impact substitute under Christian Gourcuff. He scored the first of his four goals against Valenciennes in October, before registering against eventual champions Montpellier in both the league and Coupe de France. Joel enjoyed a run of starts towards the end of a productive campaign which ultimately proved a valuable learning experience.

 

Player Profile - Henri Lansbury

Henri Lansbury
West Ham
Apps: 14+10 Goals:1
From a goalscoring debut to a goalkeeping clean sheet against Blackpool in February, it was an eventful campaign for Henri. The midfielder was on target in his first appearance against Portsmouth back in September - his solitary strike for the Hammers - but it was his goalkeeping cameo against Blackpool that was the stand-out moment of his campaign, as he kept a clean sheet. An assist for Nicky Maynard in the play-off semi-final was a fitting farewell to West Ham.

 

Player Profile - Kyle Bartley

Kyle Bartley
Rangers
Apps: 19+1 Goals: 0
Rangers were so impressed with Kyle's contributions on loan during the 2010/11 campaign that they snapped him up for the full season this time around. Injury may have kept him out of the first two months of the season, but the powerful young defender returned strongly to make a first-team place at Ibrox his own. Kyle made 20 appearances for Ally McCoist's side, who eventually finished second in the Scottish Premier League.

 

Player Profile - Pedro Botelho

Pedro Botelho
Rayo Vallecano/Levante
Apps: 8+3 Goals: 1 Apps: 10+4 Goals: 0
Pedro enjoyed his La Liga debut this season with Rayo Vallecano after previous loan spells with Salamanca, Celta Vigo and Cartagena in the Seguna Division. The versatile left-sider made 11 appearances for the Madrid-based outfit and scored one goal before switching to Levante in January. Pedro enjoyed a regular run in the first team during his spell in Valencia and helped Juan Ignacio Martinez's side to a Europa League finish.

 

Player Profile - Vito Mannone

Vito Mannone
Hull City
Apps: 23 Goals: 0
Vito returned to the KC Stadium in January after enjoying a successful period with Hull during the 2010/11 campaign. The Italian was an ever-present under both Nigel Pearson and Nick Barmby, keeping an impressive nine clean sheets in 11 matches during February and March to help the Tigers to an eighth-placed finish.

 

Player Profile - James Shea

James Shea
Dagenham & Redbridge
Apps: 3+1 Goals: 0
James's only appearance in League Two for Dagenham & Redbridge came as a substitute following a red card for the club's regular No 1, before he earned three starts in three cup competitions. James's goalkeeping heroics earned the Daggers a route past Leyton Orient on penalties in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

 

Player Profile - Denilson

Denilson
Sao Paulo
Apps: 19+2 Goals: 0
Denilson returned to hometown club Sao Paulo for a second loan spell and became a regular starter in midfield. The Serie A outfit have just started the 2012/13 campaign, in which the 24-year-old remains key. Prior to that, Denilson played a part in his side's Paulista State Championship campaign, helping Sao Paulo reach the semi-finals.

 

Wellington

Wellington
Levante/Alcoyano
Apps: 0 Goals: 0 Apps: 7+9 Goals: 3
Wellington struggled for first-team opportunities in La Liga with overachieving Levante and eventually moved to Alcoyano in January. He made a goalscoring debut off the bench against Almeria, before goals against Villarreal B and Cordoba followed. His season ended in disappointment, however, as he picked up an ankle injury as Alcoyano were relegated to the third tier. 

 

Player Profile - Samuel Galindo

Samuel Galindo
Gimnastic de Tarragona
Apps: 6+6 Goals: 0
Samuel Galindo made 12 appearances for Gimnastic in Spain's Segunda Division but struggled for first-team opportunities as his side were relegated to the third tier.

Other loanees:

Copyright 2013 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source 15 Jun 2012